Just when you thought it couldn't possibly get any worse, the Pittsburgh Steelers managed to find a way to lose to a 10-loss team in consecutive weeks. Sure, injuries have abounded over the past several weeks. Playing without your starting quarterback in a handcuffed offensive playbook is never a recipe for success, even less so with Mitchell Trubisky under center. The losses at linebacker, inside and outside, and a one-handed Minkah Fitzpatrick don't do any favors either.
The Steelers are now 7-6 with a huge road game next week in Indianapolis that will be the ultimate decider in the team's postseason hopes, not that they've played like a team worthy of being there. If the NFL had a selection committee like the college world does, there wouldn't even be a discussion on Pittsburgh's eligibility to play beyond the first week of January.
But, before we get there, this game must be taken into account, in more ways than can be encompassed within this series of articles. There wasn't much good, there was more than enough bad and another collection of ugly performances for the Steelers in this historic loss to the New England Patriots in prime time.
The Good: Second Half Defensive/Special Teams Splash Plays
Mykal Walker might be the slowest skill position player on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster, but he executed a tip drill of a pass deflection assist from Elandon Roberts. Roberts deserves the bulk of the credit for most of the good that existed for the Steelers defensively, and he's playing with a bum groin.
Walker was able to secure the pick and get the ball inside the red zone for the Steelers' offense to tighten the gap after New England jumped out to a 21-10 lead. Naturally, the Steelers' incompetent offense went four and out, failing to register a point off the turnover.
The Steelers did manage to block a punt on the next drive, which did result in points for the Steelers. That was executed by Myles Killebrew, who made a solid effort to rectify last week's back-breaking penalties.
The defense stiffened up considerably in the second half, to their credit. Though the front didn't create the kind of pass rush fans would expect, they made stops to give the offense plenty of chances to win the game. Too bad the offense refused to do its part.
The Bad: Everything About Mitchell Trubisky and the Steelers Offensive Performance
As was mentioned by the broadcast crew, the Patriots don't have a bad defense. It lacks star power, but Bill and Steve Belichick still scheme it well given the circumstances. They stop the run well and force the opposing quarterback into making mistakes. They did a fantastic job of that tonight.
Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren combined for 40 yards on 19 carries. That put a lot of pressure on Mitchell Trubisky, who played exactly the way anyone who has ever had the displeasure of watching him play football would expect.
The playcalling was arrogant though, opting for first down and second and long runs far too often. Off of both the interception and blocked punt, the Steelers ran the ball on first down with Najee Harris instead of capitalizing on the splash plays.
Trubisky was nothing short of awful outside of the 25-yard touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson. He failed to give Johnson, George Pickens or Pat Freiermuth ample opportunity to create plays, routinely throwing inaccurate passes or into coverage.
He also slid well short of the line to gain on a third down in the red zone down 11, which is just as inexplicable as it is unacceptable.
In the end, needing two yards to continue a potential game-winning drive on fourth down, Trubisky launched another baffling pass down the field to Johnson, effectively ending the game. That's just as much on him as it is on the coaches.
The Ugly: The Steelers Entire Coaching Staff is Failing this Roster
There is a larger discussion here that will no doubt be covered by my colleagues here and on other platforms. While I won't advocate for Mike Tomlin's firing personally, something has to give. Losing back-to-back games to 10-loss teams as a +.500 team was literally unheard of in the NFL before tonight.
Tomlin's teams have always played closer to the level of competition than setting any sort of standard of their own. Tomlin's offense without Ben Roethlisberger under center has proven to be a conservative operation that lives in its fears. There is little hell being unleashed by the defense, in December or otherwise.
Tomlinisms can't save this team. Acknowledging that this team plays an aptly described "JV" brand of football is not enough to create positive change. And though the sample size is small, and he absolutely deserved to be fired for the irreparable damage he committed against this offense, firing Matt Canada didn't solve every problem with this offense.
There is something to be said about the positions this team has experienced injuries, and how untimely they've been, though there never is a good time to lose impact players. But the way Tomlin speaks would leave the gullible to believe that anyone wearing Black and Gold is capable of playing up to some unbreakable standard. As good as it sounds behind a press conference mic, it's painfully far from the truth.
On the other side of that, TJ Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick and most notably Cam Heyward are not getting younger. The younger skill players on offense have visibly shown their frustrations with the construction of the offense and its infuriating ineptitude.
It's laughable that five days ago, the Steelers were in the driver's seat to not just secure a playoff spot, but maybe win the division, and now the franchise is in the darkest place it's been since the 1980s while still holding a winning record. That is a coaching issue. That is a Mike Tomlin issue. And the time to fix it has long since passed.